Being a feminist, personally, I try to stay far away from products that tell me that I need to look a certain way and then promise to change my complexion, body type or any other physical attribute, unless medically necessary.
So, don’t be surprised if I tell you that I had never ever used waist trainers in my life. However, when I received a pitch about this all-new waist trainer called Waist Hugs, I was intrigued– mainly, because of two reasons:
- They did not tell me that I am fat and ugly, so I need them but rather presented a choice of a product that can enhance my workout regimen
- Also, Waist Hugs does more than helping women slim down:
- It optimises workouts as it aids in the building of stronger core muscles and increases the number of calories burnt when worn.
- It provides the necessary back support that helps one maintain a proper posture while doing exercises such as weight-lifting, preventing potential back sprains or injuries.
- For everyday use, it can be worn discreetly underneath clothes, allowing one to work out in it any time – be it at home, out at the park, or at the gyms.
- If you are always desk-bound (which is me 18 hours a day), Waist Hugs will reduce the instance of you bending your back and help you with better posture habits.
And, there is no set time to wear Waist Hugs, but it is recommended to wear it progressively for at least 8 hours a day, every day, for best results. For starters, if you are unfamiliar with waist training, start with 5 hours a day, then, slowly increase the number of hours as you see fit, day by day.
So, when they kindly agreed to send over a sample for me to try it out and review, I was excited! I am have been wearing Waist Hugs regularly for almost six hours a day, during yoga, walks and sometimes while working on my desk. It is super comfortable and its two-level belts help me adjust the grip as per my comfort.
My waist feels more toned, I have better posture (I used to slouch all the time, but it has gotten better, trust me!) and I find it helpful during periods as well. Weirdly enough, the tight grip around me uterine area gives me comfort! Priced at S$ 99, I think Waist Hugs is a reasonable and worthy wait trainer, that’ll become your friend in no time!
Another reason for me falling in love with this trainer is the fact that there is a woman behind this amazing product, and I had to interview her for you guys. So, I did!
Meet Geraldine Pang, the Founder of Waist Hugs. We discussed the product, her journey so far and kickstarting a business amidst a pandemic.
TVM: What inspired you to start Waist Hugs?
Geraldine: I was looking for waist trainers in Singapore, ones that I could wear under my clothes to help me better my posture and slim down my waist. The ones that I found are the traditional corsets that come with hooks and are tough to get into which became quite troublesome so I lost the motivation and gave up after a few days.
Unlike traditional corsets, Waist Hugs doesn’t crush your organs and rib cage because it straps on to your preferred tightness and comfortability. The velcro on both layers can be wrapped tightly while working out and loosely while engaging in the day to day activities to your preferred extent. Waist training is all about consistency. Through consistency, posture habits and weight loss will happen, hence I knew I had to come up with something less restrictive and easy for women of all shapes and sizes to get accustomed to so they will continue wearing it until it becomes a habit.
TVM: What are your goals with Waist Hugs?
Geraldine: My goal is to empower women to drive their own success on their own terms. There are too many unspoken rules for women in this day and age and I want to motivate women to set their own goals and achieve them. Be it exercising more, helping mums to regain their confidence postpartum or simply improving one’s posture at work.
TVM: What are the key markets you are looking at? Is Waist Hugs shipped outside SG as well?
Geraldine: Yes, we ship all across Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States. We also offer free standard delivery for all orders in Singapore.
TVM: Do you get annoyed when people ask you what challenges did you face as a “female” entrepreneur or do you think it is important to bring out that narrative to normalise women in business?
Geraldine: I do think it is important to move the needle on gender norms and that includes normalising women in business roles. Segmenting ‘female entrepreneurs’ shows that it is still uncommon for women to become entrepreneurs, hence when women actually do take on that role, they are either shunned upon or glorified because it is not yet normalised.
I take it with a pinch of salt because I believe our society is changing for the better and as long as we are doing our part to spread awareness and challenge narrowly defined expectations of gender biases, I believe we can reshape the future and eventually work towards gender neutrality in the workplace.
TVM: Having said that, what have been the biggest challenges and highlights in your journey so far?
My biggest challenge was getting things moving during Covid-19. There were delays in shipments and on top of that, Singapore went into full lockdown mode so we couldn’t make progress with the business physically, but otherwise, we were on top of everything digitally and that made a huge difference!
TVM: Many young women from Singapore and India read The Vent Machine. What message would you like to give our readers?
Geraldine: Build other women up and empower each other to do better. The success of every woman should be an inspiration to others so we should be kind, be courageous and support each other.
Important note for to-be moms out there:
Please do not wear waist trainers during pregnancy. After giving birth, you are advised to consult your doctor if you are ready for waist training, especially if you have undergone a caesarean section, just in case the scarring has not healed.
Learn more about Waist Hugs here and follow them on Instagram.
